I went into Watton Stores last Saturday to buy the stamps for our Christmas cards. I bought a large number of second class stamps and discovered as I left the shop that I had been charged 60p each. Checking the Royal Mail website I found that second class stamps are priced at 53p each. So I went back in and told the assistant that I had been overcharged, only to be informed that this was the price they sell them for and first class are 70p (normally 62p). He said that they had to pay 53p for second class stamps and so they had to make a profit! 7p per stamp sounds like a rather large profit to me!

Anyway I returned the stamps and he gave me my money back, after which I went to Kings Hill McColl and got them for 53p.

I was not aware that shops that sell stamps could charge what they liked for them. I thought that the Royal Mail price was fixed.

You can buy stamps from lots of different traders, not just from a post office. Any shop which sells stamps officially has to follow certain rules, which includes selling them at or below the face value of the stamp. They can’t charge more than the face value.

This page explains the rules on what traders can charge for stamps and what you should do if you’ve been charged too much.

It is legal to resell stamps. When I asked the Royal Mail, it replied: "It is legal to resell unused postage stamps. Retail agents who have a contract with us are not allowed to sell them at above face value.” So those who want to buy stamps now in the hopes of flogging them at a higher price later could make serious cash.

Only those retailers who have a contract with the Royal Mail have to sell at the face value. If the retailer bought the stamps from another retailer or at a Post Office counter, then they are not bound by this condition.